Small Prayer
by Ceara Ivory
Summary: The sequel to “Held”. Lessons officially begin for Harry and all the rest of the students who were removed from Hogwarts. School also begins for those students who have remained in Hogwarts. And Tom tells the wizarding world the truth about Dumbledore. Wi
1. Chapter 1

Small Prayer

Written by Chibikan

Summary: The sequel to "Held". Lessons officially begin for Harry and all the rest of the students who were removed from Hogwarts. School also begins for those students who have remained in Hogwarts. And Tom tells the wizarding world the truth about Dumbledore. Will they believe him? Will they take the word of the Boy-Who-Lived? Will Dumbledore finally get what's getting to him? And will you read and review? I don't know, let's find out, shall we?

Chapter 1: In Which Harry and the Others Begin Lessons

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,  
and remember what peace there may be in silence.  
As far as possible without surrender  
be on good terms with all persons.  
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;  
and listen to others,  
even the dull and the ignorant;  
they too have their story.  
- "Desiderata"; Max Ehrmann; 1952

The sun rose upon the small town of Little Hangleton. The light streamed in through the windows of the large manor on the outskirts, waking the occupants on the beautiful Indian Summer morning. In one room however, two young boys struggled NOT to get up.

"Harry, dear." hissed a rather large snake. "Time to wake up, you've got lessons today."

Harry moaned. "Uhhhh, just a few more minutes, Nagi…"

Nagini used the tip of her snout to prod Harry. "Come on now, dear. Your father is waiting, and your friend needs waking. I'm afraid you're the only one who can wake him, he's too frightened of me."

Harry finally opened his eyes and sat up, yawning. "Sorry, Nagi, we'll be there in a few minutes."

As promised, Harry and Ron (with his hair still a mess as Harry didn't give him a chance to brush it) arrived in the sitting room. Several teens were already there. Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy (glaring at Ron and vice-versa), Gregory Crabbe, Vincent Goyle, Ginny Weasley (as Arthur refused to let Dumbledore use their family any longer and after hearing what really occurred from Lupin and Snape, decided that he would trust Voldemort to teach his daughter) and the twins, and of course Hermione were among them.

"You're late boys." came the silky-smooth voice of Tom Riddle.

Harry nodded. "Sorry, sir." Although he knew that Tom was his father, and that James Potter had been nothing but an errant asshole to his mother, he couldn't bring himself to consider either of them such. For as long as he had been alive he had thought James was a man of dignity and had loved him as a son loves his father, no one would be able to take his place so soon. "It won't happen again." He and Ron sat down.

Tom stood up. "I'm sure there is no need to introduce myself, but for manners-sake, I shall. I am to most of you, Lord Voldemort." He clearly saw several students. So even they bought a lot of Dumbledore's lies, if they too feared his name. "But for the duration of our time during lessons, you shall refer to me as Tom. It's much easier to say." He added, hoping to lighten the atmosphere, he was quickly learning that the way to teach was not through intimidation. The students had to be relaxed around him, as Lupin had put it, in order for anything to sink in. "The lesson we're going to discuss for the next two hours will cover advanced transfiguration. I trust you each have a copy of _Transfiguration for Dummies _which I instructed all of you to purchase, along with the other books on your list." Each student held up his or her copy. "Good, now, turn to page 21 Unit One, Chapter 1, Section 1."

Meanwhile:

Dumbledore had actually been surprised at the feast the last night. All but a small handful of Slytherin students had been absent. Of course, after only a few moments deliberation he had figured out why. Voldemort, of course, must have told his Death Eaters to remove their children from the school. He also noted that the two Weasley children had not been at their table, neither had Hermione Granger. This could turn into a problem. He needed to do something, but none of his attempts so far had succeeded. He would need to enlist some help from someone, someone who might to destroy the boy, someone with enough to do it quickly before anyone could stop him. He then had an idea. He slipped out from his office and went down to Hagrid's hut.

Two hours later found the students out in the gardens of the elaborate mansion. They were having an hour break, before their animagus training began (taught by Peter Pettigrew, as he was an animagus).

"Well, I must say, he is a very good teacher." Hermione stated, as she had all summer after their tutoring sessions on the ranch. "I learned so much from him."

"That's not surprising Granger." Pansy stated, shocked to find that Hermione made very good company. At least she was intelligent, unlike Crabbe and Goyle who sadly had not inherited the brains of their fathers.

"Harry, you need to eat something." Ron prodded. "We didn't even eat breakfast."

Harry nodded, although he didn't really feel like eating. He hadn't felt like eating a lot since the day he was released from the hospital after the incident with the bull. He looked up, intending to find something to change the subject about. And he found it. "Hey, look, it's Hagrid!" He stood up with grin, although not stopping to think how Hagrid had gotten there. Harry ran over to the half-giant, followed by the others. "Hey, Hag….." He stopped as he noticed the empty look in Hagrid's eyes. They were glazed over, he knew that look…

AN: Well there you have it, chapter 1 of the sequel to Held. I hope you enjoy it, and please read and review. I like reviews, seeing your comments makes me feel good.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,  
they are vexations to the spirit.  
If you compare yourself with others,  
you may become vain and bitter;  
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.  
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

-Max Ehrmann; "Desiderata" 1952

Harry slowly began backing away. "Ha….Hagrid…." He knew HE could fight the imperius curse, but Hagrid was another story.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione asked. She followed Harry's gaze to Hagrid's empty eyes and shrieked.

"Get everyone inside, AHHH" Harry shouted as Hagrid grabbed him by the collar.

Everyone screamed, unsure of what to do. Hagrid was normally so gentle and kind. Yes, he had a temper, especially if you insulted someone he cared about, but he was always so gentle.

Hagrid, under the influence of the Imperius, slid his enormous fingers around Harry's throat.

"Hagrid, Hagrid, listen to me! It's Harry, st…..." His words were cut off as his good friend began to strangle him.

"Hagrid! Stop!" shouted Harry's friends.

Harry was just about to lost consciousness when suddenly, the light came back in Hagrid's eyes. He immediately dropped Harry to the ground. He coughed and gasped for air.

"'Arry? What….what did….I…..what 'appened?"

"You were under the imperius curse." Came the voice of Lord Voldemort as he came out into the garden. He had been the one to cast the counter curse. "Obviously Dumbles still haven't given up."

Hagrid scratched his head. "'Arry, did I 'urt you?"

Harry shook his head, not wanting to alarm the easily emotional half-giant. "No, Hagrid." He stood up and hugged his friend.

Hagrid hugged him back. "Dumbledore came to tell me 'e knew where you were. 'e said 'e wanted my 'elp to rescue you, and then after that everything…is just….a big blur."

Tom decided everyone should come in and calm down. He knew that he would have a lot to explain to the gamekeeper, and could only hope that he would believe them. He also knew that he could not wait any longer to act. He would send an anonymous owl to the Minister Fudge that evening.

"But, I don't understand 'Arry, 'ow could you 'ave joined with You-Know-Who."

"Please don't call him that Hagrid. He's not evil. He's been framed for everything." Harry informed him. "Dumbledore did it."

Hagrid stopped. "But…'Arry, Dumbledore would never…."

"Then how do you explain that it was Dumbledore who came to see you seconds before you were hexed into trying to kill me?"

The gamekeeper's eyes grew wide. "No…" He didn't want to believe it. Dumbledore had taken care of him, when his father had died. He had allowed Hagrid to stay at Hogwarts even after being wrongfully expelled for crimes he hadn't committed.

Harry sighed. "He used us Hagrid. He's been using all of us, this entire time. He meant for me to die at the hands of Voldemort, on that night 16 years ago. He had no idea that Voldemort wouldn't fall into his trap. Then he meant for me to die at the abuse of my relatives. And every single year I've been at Hogwarts, he's set me up in situations where I could possibly die."

Tom smiled inwardly. The boy had figured out that subtlety was not always wise, and most of the time the straight truth, however painful, was the best. "He's right, Rubeus. He's the one who framed you the night Aragog was discovered."

"No, it was you….you tried to kill 'im."

Tom smiled. "They say Dumbledore is excellent at disguising himself, my loyal followers, they say you never know where and who he is…."

"You mean……" Hagrid, despite how slow he could be, was beginning to understand. "But….why?"

"Who knows. But he's been doing the same thing to me for the past thirty-five years." The dark lord turned his head to meet Hagrid's eyes. "He showed you a little kindness to ensure your loyalty later on."

"But….what about the Chamber….what about the diary?"

"I planted it as a trap for the old coot. I thought perhaps if the whole thing were to happen again, then people would have to take Dumbledore out of position. If he wasn't doing enough to protect their students than someone else had to, right? It would have worked, if he hadn't discovered Ginny with the diary. Doesn't take much magic to manipulate a diary into giving falsehoods, he used it from afar to lure Ginny down into the Chamber, and disguised as my seventeen year old self, he tried to kill Harry AND the Weasley girl." Tom ended his tale, leaving the half-giant to mull over it.

Slowly Hagrid understood. Dumbledore had been using him. Asking him to take three CHILDREN into the Forbidden Forest for a detention, all they'd done was help him save a baby dragon. Then dropping the boy clues every year, leading him into the most dangerous places. Asking him to loan him Fluffy, even to guard the Sorcerer's Stone, especially if he had already planned for Harry to get the stone from Voldemort anyway. No man who truly means well, does any of that.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a letter to write. Harry, I must borrow Hedwig." Tom left Harry and his friend alone to get reacquainted.

AN: Well, what'd ya think? Reviews gladly welcomed. I try to reply to all reviews. I also take suggestions, so tell me what you'd like to see.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Minister Fudge was in his office, earlier than usual. He'd been unable to sleep the last night. And the reason why? Well, he had gotten a letter during his lunch hour the day before. A letter from a man named Tom Riddle. He had claimed to be the new guardian to the Boy-Who-Lived due to his relatives being found unfit to continue his care. He had also requested an important press conference this very day, at precisely nine o'clock in the morning. Of course, though he was highly confused, he had called the conference. He was curious to what Mr. Potter wished to discuss. It was now seven am. The conference would be in two short hours.

"Tom, do ya really t'ink this is wise?" Nagini asked of her human.

Tom nodded. "It's time I stopped hiding behind my reputation. I need to put a stop to Dumbledore, and staying quiet isn't going to do it."

"I agree, Tom, dear, but, it's dangerous, what if they don't believe you? What if they attack you?"

Tom looked at his snake. "It will be dangerous, but it must be done."

Two hours later, Tom and Harry were led into the small conference room. It was to be a small conference, with the only reporter Harry could trust, who ironically was the same person who had made him out to be insane two years prior, Rita Skeeter. Cornelius Fudge was also present, as was Amelia Bones and a few other ministry officials and of course a few aurors.

"So, Mr. Potter, tell us why you asked for this meeting." Minister Fudge asked of the teen.

Harry sighed and looked at Tom. "I've come to say that, you were right, Minister. About your suspicions, not all of them, but about one of the most important."

"I'm afraid I do not understand, Mr. Potter." Cornelius asked, confused. He had been wrong about Voldemort, that he had to admit, he had seen the dark lord.

"About Dumbledore, you were right. But only partially." Harry stated. "He doesn't want your position. He wants more. He wants the entire wizarding world."

Dumbledore watched the meeting from a seeing glass with bated breath. Watched, and waited to see if they would believe him.

Fudge and the rest of those present, save for Tom Riddle, gasped in surprise. Even Rita stopped her quill for a moment in shock at this revelation.

Amelia Bones was the first to recover. "Mr. Potter, to suggest that Dumbledore is out for his own gain, is a cruel joke."

"It is an even crueler truth, Madame Bones." Tom said simply.

"And just who are you, sir?" Madame Bones had always respected Dumbledore, and now someone was insulting her, smearing his name with terrible accusations.

"I, Ma'am, am none other than Lord Voldemort himself."

AN: Sorry it's so short, and so late. I have been SOOOOO busy, it isn't even funny. During the winter I probably will be more busy than normal and therefore chapter updates will probably come further apart.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Nearly all in the room, except for Tom and Harry, got to their feet and pulled out their wands. Cornelius Fudge's mouth was hanging open, he had no idea what to do. The Dark Lord was here, and Potter was on his side. They would all surely be dead within moments.

"Now, now Minister, that twig of yours is hardly necessary, the same goes for the rest of you." Lord Voldemort stated, using magic to don his typical Dark Lord wardrobe. He pulled out his own wand and threw it across the room. "As you can now see, I am unarmed."

Harry did the same with his wand. "We are both unarmed. We only want the wizarding world to know the truth."

"A…and what exactly is the truth, Harry?" Rita asked bravely, her quill and notebook going wild.

Harry sighed and began with a simple statement. "Voldemort is innocent."

Fudge's face turned several shades of puce. "Innocent! The man's killed….."

"The man you speak of was framed. Don't you find it odd that Dumbledore is the first to every scene of attack, with the Dark Mark hanging proudly over his own head?" Voldemort pointed out. "Every time, he's the first one there, with no scene of either I or my followers. "And if your precious Dumbledore is so good, with only the best intentions for the wizarding world in mind, how could he leave what was supposed to be your only hope, Mr. Potter, in an abusive household? A household where he constantly came close to death, because he was afraid to protect himself with magic that would land him expelled?"

Amelia Bones gasped. "You mean, Harry was….beaten?"

"Impossible, we would have known if something like that was happening." Fudge said, so sure of himself that it hurt. "Dumbledore assured us he always had someone watching him."

Harry gave Tom a look that said "These people sure are slow on the uptake aren't they?"

Tom simply scoffed. "Dumbledore assured you. Mr. Potter, why don't you show them that scar in the small of your back?"

Harry nodded and removed his shirt and turned around. He knew that they were convinced when several swear words hit his ears, and the sound of Skeeter's quill moving at an even faster pace.

"But….but…why would….Albus leave you in such a terrible place, dear?" Bones asked.

"Because he really wanted me dead. He'd heard a prophecy from Professor Trelawney, before I was born, that said that if I died, so would Voldemort. However, it seems he misinterpreted it. Every word spoken in the damn thing was metaphorical. I will vanquish the Dark Lord, I'll vanquish the myth that Tom Riddle is evil."

"I don't understand." Cornelius blurted out. "If this Riddle is indeed innocent, than why does Dumbledore want him dead?"

Tom shook his head. He always hoped he could get out of telling this long story, he was getting sick of repeating himself. But it seemed as though he had no choice. "Because I found out what he was really after." He began before launching into the long, pain filled explanation.

When he had finished, he could tell that they believed him. Even Fudge believed him. In truth he had never REALLY trusted Dumbledore. The man had always seemed a little too perfect.

"But….what about that incident at the World Cup finals, two years ago, with those Death Eater?"

Voldemort gave the minister a look. "They were drunk, what did you expect them to do, sing Christmas carols perhaps, or maybe recite Shakespeare."

One by one, each of the listeners looked to one another. Rita could hardly contain her excitement. What a front page this would make.

"So Harry, what exactly did you want ME here for?" She asked. "Surely not to print this, with your abuse and everything?" She knew that he could easily turn her in for being an unregistered animagus if she did anything contrary to what he wanted.

Harry nodded. "Actually I do. Every word, especially the parts about Dumbledore, and the abuse. Let them know just what a mistake they've made in blaming Voldemort for Dumbledore's wrongs and for believing the man incapable of such things."

The woman nodded. "I will be sure to tear the old bat apart with this article."

Soon after, their meeting was concluded and each person returned to their normal lives.

The next morning……

**_"Harry Potter Reveals Truth About Hogwarts Headmaster, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Innocent"_**

AN: Yes, I leave it there for all of you fine people to read. Hope you all enjoy the update. Adios amigos. Sayonara. Au Revoire.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_**"Harry Potter Reveals Truth About Hogwarts Headmaster, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Innocent"**_

That's what the headline read the next day at breakfast. Right smack dab on the front page was Rita's article, based on the previous day's events. Harry smiled. "Well, the article's here." He stated, showing the paper to Tom and his friends.

Hermione was thrilled. "Finally, a truthful article!" She had grown to despise the headmaster since he had tried to kill Harry, twice in the past three months.

"Well, what does it say?" Ron asked, curiously.

Hermione looked over the article, reading each word with unmatched clarity.

_In an exclusive interview at the Ministry yesterday, Harry Potter has revealed that the Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, has been making inconspicuous attempts at controlling the wizarding world through lies and foul play. It has also been revealed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, whose true name is Thomas Marvolo Riddle, is merely a victim in this, one falsely and cruelly accused of various murders over the last fifty years. "Dumbledore has been trying to get rid of me since I found out what he was up to in my seventh year." says Mr. Riddle. He also states that it was Dumbledore who committed the crimes for which he himself was blamed. "He would have tried to either kill or obliviate anyone is they found out it was him, I felt it better to not say anything because of this." It seems that the Mr. Riddle and his Death Eaters have been our protectors in disguise this entire time. Now that all of this is out in the open, the only questions that remains are these: Can the wizarding world accept this awful yet freeing truth? Will Dumbledore continue to get away with these heinous crimes? And will we ever be able to forgive ourselves for alienating and accusing an innocent man?_

_For more see page 8_

Dumbledore furiously tore at the Prophet from within his chambers. Nearly every single student, the ones who received the Prophet, had turned their heads to eye their headmaster with either a confused or angry expression. Something HAD to be done. But for the first time in so long, he was completely stumped. He'd sent nearly every weapon in his arsenal, even going so far as to imperio his gamekeeper in attempt to murder the boy and have the half-giant take the fall. Now everyone knew his secrets, everyone. How many believed the article was still to be seen, but he knew that at least seventy percent of all subscribers believed everything written in their daily paper.

"Albus…" Came a soft voice from the entrance.

Dumbledore jumped and turned, quickly masking his alarm. "Ahh, Minerva, what can I do for you?" He was seriously trying to hide his fury at the article.

McGonagall held up her paper. "Did you see this Albus? This….this article?"

"Yes I did, Minerva." He stated simply.

"It's strange, how could Mr. Potter give these horrible accusations about you? And how could he side with You-Know-Who, after everything he's done to him." She ranted.

"You do not believe it then?" He asked her.

McGonagall shook her head. "Of course not, Albus. I doubt anyone will…don't worry about…." She then realized that Dumbledore would NEVER worry about people believing some rubbish posted in the Prophet. She also noticed what seemed to be a torn up copy of the paper. "You….ARE worried about it….aren't you?"

"No…of course I'm not worried, Minerva." He said but as his deceptions had been revealed, he was finding it more and more difficult to be so calm with them and his voice betrayed as much.

"Why Albus….it's….not true is it?" Before he could open his mouth to deny it, she knew it was. Her eyes went wide and the old woman shook her head, wanting so much for it to be a lie. "It is true…."

Albus sighed. "Yes Minerva, it is true…and I'm sorry but I can't have you revealing anymore of my secrets." He raised his wand. "Obl….." But he was stopped when suddenly Professor McGonagall transfigured herself into her animagus form and escaped the wand. This was bad. He couldn't go chasing after her, or the students might believe the Prophet. This was bad…for him anyway…

AN: Okay, short chapter I know. I know it could have been better but work has been getting in my way. They've had me on night shift at McDonald's lately. But hopefully, I'll be able to get back to work soon. Please read and review. And while you're at it, read "Prophecy", a story about a young orphaned witch being raised by Care Bears and going to Hogwarts. Do feel free to review that one too.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Snape was about to lose all control. He had just finished snatching a Prophet away from the fifth year student that had dared to ask about it's contents. "Now, as exciting as this morning's news was, this is still a Potions class." He informed his class harshly. "You will all focus on your potion, before there is an explosion! The next person to have their Prophet out during class will receive detention and lose twenty points, do I make myself CLEAR!" He barked slamming his hands down in front of a Hufflepuff girl, making her jump almost a foot off of her chair. Anticlimactic, it truly was, that after so long Dumbledore would lose his hold over the wizarding world. Even if many disbelieved, they would also suspect, since it was the Boy Who Lived who gave the interview.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore was about to go search for McGonagall, he had to keep her from revealing his secret, while his students still believed him. He was just reaching the bottom of his tower when he noticed someone marching up the hallway towards him, accompanied by a few aurors.

"Why, Minister, what a surprise." Dumbledore greeted, attempting to look completely innocent. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit."

Minister Fudge simply glared at the Headmaster and turned to his men. "Arrest him."

Dumbledore stepped back. "Whatever for, Minister, surely you do not believe the rubbish in the Prophet?"

"No, but after hearing Potter rave last year about the Dark Lord's revival, I do believe him!" Fudge fired back. "You are through, Dumbledore, you are to be removed from the school by unanimous decision from the governors and to be arrested for the murders that you pinned on an innocent man for so long."

Sighing, Dumbledore took his wand out of his pocket. "Minister, I do not have any intention of going to Azkaban today." The headmaster raised his wand and mumbled an incantation.

Meanwhile…..

"Remember my young students, becoming an animagus is really not that difficult. You are not becoming an animal, you are already your animal. You must simply allow your body to accommodate it." instructed the pudgy wizard, waving his silver hand for emphasis. Already there was a hand in the air. "Yes, Miss. Granger?"

"Um….Mr. Pettigrew…..is it really that easy, we were told that not everyone has the ability to become an animagus."

The wizard scoffed. "Poppycock, dear, if I can become an animagus, any fool can. Never believe the word "can't" . It is your greatest enemy. Your only limitations are those you allow yourself to have. Therefore, it really only stands to reason that no one truly has limitations at all." He sat down at his table and pulled out a book. "Now, everyone open to chapter one of _The Art of Finding Your Animal, _and read to the questions at the end. Your homework is to answer these questions in complete sentences."

AN: I KNOW, I KNOW! Don't kill me! It's been like forever since I've updated, I know! I've been busy and other ideas have been attacking me. And well, life needs to take precedence over writing fan fiction sadly. Let's just say it hasn't been easy, and I've been getting tired more and more easily. I can't seem to ever stay awake. Please forgive me! I'll try not to keep you waiting this long ever again!

Remember, Success is 60 Attitude 40 Altitude. How high can you dream?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE ESCAPED!" Tom shouted, uncontrollably at Severus Snape when informed that Dumbledore had fled capture.

Snape nodded in confirmation. "Yes, my Lord, when Fudge came to take him to Azkaban, he just….vanished."

Voldemort sat in his favorite chair, his hand on his forehead. "This is not good. He will, without a doubt, continue trying to get rid of Harry. Harry just humiliated the man more thoroughly than anyone else has before." He sighed, unaware that Snape too had sighed at the same time. He looked at the fire. "There's only one thing to do…." He said to the potions master. "We've got to flee. Away from England…."

The dark-eyed man looked away from his master. It pissed him off that this man just couldn't get a break. "Where will you go?"

Tom shook his head. "I don't know. I honestly don't. He knows about the ranch, or we could go there."

"You know we'll follow you anywhere, right?"

The man formerly known as the Dark Lord sighed. "And you'll have to. We can't take any chances that Dumbledore will take advantage of any of you. And I don't put it past him to try." He ran a hand through his black mane. "The question is where to go. Go to the others, tell them to meet me here, in the study, immediately."

As instructed, several minutes later, every single one of Tom's closest friends and confidants were gathered in the study, making the room seem very small indeed. They quickly confirmed what Severus had said, they were indeed willing to follow him anywhere, which he was most grateful for. An hour past with them discussing what they could do, where they could go.

It was finally Lucius who had the solution. "Well, Master, he may know about your ranch, but….will he honestly expect you to return there?"

Tom smiled. "You're right, Lucius, he won't expect us to return to the ranch. It's big enough for everyone and there is a public school nearby. They could masquerade as muggles in a muggle school. And every evening come to the ranch for private lessons of some sort. It would be no problem to order the ranch hands away from a certain part of the manor each night." He said, more to himself to the others. "And Harry did have his heart set on being in the Junior Rodeo next weekend."

It seemed that it had been decided. They would all be moving to Dallas. Most would seek their own homes while a select few would stay at the ranch under the pretense of being new hired hands. And hopefully Dumbledore would look elsewhere for Harry. Hopefully.

AN: Yea, another chapter after a month of deliberation. Long days at work are sapping my energy to write and I just wanted this to be a really good chappie, however short it maybe. I promise to try and get back up to speed. And yes it's back to the ranch, did ya think I'd just leave Seth and of course Harry's snake friend Garth? Maybe I'll set Bella up with Seth. Maybe there'll even be a square dance or two. I know it's OOC but it's AU.

Next: Back to the ranch and the start of muggle school for the group of kids


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"WHOO! NICE JUMP HARRY!" Seth McGrange cried out in glee, as Harry practiced his jumps with his horse, Black, or Blackie as he nicknamed him.

Harry galloped over, "This is amazing!"

Seth grinned, "I was right, you're a right natural! You're really gonna blow their socks off this Saturday! Now we're gonna practice the barrel run, let me set up the barrels."

When Tom and Harry had come back to the ranch, it was a surprise. He usually didn't come back as soon as this. His visits were usually at least two to three months apart. But Tom had explained that Harry had really wanted to partake in the rodeo event, so they'd come back and he had even enrolled Harry in the local high school. And more than that, he'd hired a mess of new ranch hands to help on the ranch, so that Seth could spend all his time training Harry to make sure he was ready.

Tom came out of the house and over to the corral where they were practicing. "How's he doing?"

Seth set up one of the barrels and turned to answer, "He's a natural, Tommy. He makes those jumps without even a flinch. I have no doubt he'll be ready for this weekend." He motioned for Harry to come over. "Ready? Remember, the current record is fifteen seconds. You need to be able to beat that, without knocking over any of the barrels." He pulled out a stopwatch. "On your mark, get set, GO!" he pushed the start button on the watch as Harry bolt away to the barrels.

Meanwhile…

With the disappearance of Dumbledore, McGonagall was given the job of Headmistress, and Severus Snape took deputy headmaster. She still struggled to reconcile with the revelation of her former colleague and friend's true intentions and actions. How could she have so badly misjudged him. He had seemed so kind and good. He always spoke with a soft tone, rarely lost his temper. He'd always said that while he'd never taken a wife and had children of his own, he considered all of the children that entered this school to be his children, or grandchildren considering his age, he would joke.

Everything was more subdued with Dumbledore gone. The students were worried and suspicious. If Dumbledore had been so capable of deceiving them, who's to say no one else could do it too? How could trust anyone. Harry Potter was gone, so was Hermione, Ron and nearly all of Slytherin. It was a little scary, but at least, the old coot wasn't able to try and hurt anyone anymore.

Or so they thought…

Deep underneath Hogwarts, in what was known as the Chamber of Secrets, the old Headmaster crouched next to the underground pool beneath Slytherin's statue. As the former headmaster, he knew all of the old castle's secrets, including the second entrance into the Chamber through a cave in the Forbidden Forest. With one of his scrying spells, he used the water to view what Mr. Potter…no, Mr. Riddle and his friends were up to. So, Harry was going to be in a rodeo that Saturday. A potentially dangerous, and deadly competition where someone could be hurt if things went wrong.

AN: So SOOOO Sorry for the mass delay on this story. I've had issues with coming up with ideas for this chapter. But here it is. Next Chapter: The Rodeo


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